Reference:16550: Difference between revisions
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Image cleanup: remove duplicate placement of the retired hero (same photo already placed correctly as Polar white dial in the Dial map section; this copy mislabeled it cream-toned and duplicated the same image under a second filename) Tag: Reverted |
Image correction: pixel-sampled dial color confirms the archived photo is cream-toned (R-B=+20 vs +3 for a confirmed Polar reference shot), not Polar white as the stale original caption claimed. Move it to Cream and rail dial section; restore single-image Polar section. Tag: Manual revert |
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===Polar (white) dial=== | ===Polar (white) dial=== | ||
[[File:Ref 16550 polar-dial.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Polar white dial 16550|Polar white dial with white-gold index surrounds]] | |||
File:Ref 16550 polar-dial.webp|alt=Polar white dial 16550|Polar white dial with white-gold index surrounds | |||
The Polar dial 16550 is the first white-dial Explorer II. Its practical tell is the white-gold index surround, where the 16570 later moved to black surrounds. A white dial with black surrounds on a 16550 should be checked carefully. | The Polar dial 16550 is the first white-dial Explorer II. Its practical tell is the white-gold index surround, where the 16570 later moved to black surrounds. A white dial with black surrounds on a 16550 should be checked carefully. | ||
===Cream and rail dial=== | ===Cream and rail dial=== | ||
[[File:Ref 16550 cream dial example.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Cream-toned 16550 with steel surrounds|A cream-toned 16550 example]] | |||
The cream dial is the most-discussed variant on the 16550. A subset of Polar white dials aged to a distinctive cream or ivory tone, called panna in Italian collector usage and peach on the most orange-shifted examples. Rolex never specified the colour as a finish. Collector consensus traces it to a defect in the early white dial paint composition, an affected batch more photosensitive than the corrected formula that oxidised unevenly over time and shifted to cream. Rolex revised the paint mid-run, though no precise cutover date is documented. | The cream dial is the most-discussed variant on the 16550. A subset of Polar white dials aged to a distinctive cream or ivory tone, called panna in Italian collector usage and peach on the most orange-shifted examples. Rolex never specified the colour as a finish. Collector consensus traces it to a defect in the early white dial paint composition, an affected batch more photosensitive than the corrected formula that oxidised unevenly over time and shifted to cream. Rolex revised the paint mid-run, though no precise cutover date is documented. | ||